A Warm Welcome to New Member Clubs

Picking the Right Football Association:
This is probably the most important decision you have to make once you have become a member of the UFFA. The Cloughite has gathered the opinions of real FA members who it believes will provide an honest assessment of their FA. We present this information to you not to persude you to join any particular FA, but to give you the information to make the right decision yourself.

Evening FAs:
Clough is primarily an evening gameworld, the majority of users are active between 7pm and 1am, if these are the hours you expect to spend in-game the majority of the time then you are spoilt for choice in terms of FAs:

Primetime Football Association (19:30-22:30). Peak activity 19:30-21:00. The PFA is the top ranked association in Clough with the strongest top division of any FA, if you are looking for prestige then this may be the FA for you. Like the XEFA, the PFA league is comprised of 4-tiers. The PFA is highly active, however the lobby is realitively quiet as member clubs spend more time playing matches. Clubs in the PFA can expect to play about 60 games during the season depending on progress in the cups. Youth structure: U21 league and cup, U19 and U17 league.

All Evening Football Association 18:00-00:00. Peak activity 20:00-22:00. The AEFA has one of the most varied communities in Clough, with managers from many nations taking part, with a particularly strong Greek & Italian community. The AEFA has one of the best structured youth systems in the gameworld, with leagues structured to seperate those managers who wish to manage their youth team from those that let the AI take control. Teams in the AEFA will be looking at a schedule of between 50-70 matches during the season depending on success in the cups. Youth structure: League and cup at U21,20,19,18 &17.

Social Football Association (19:00-23:00). Peak activity 20:30 - 22:30. The SFA has become known in recent seasons for the strength of it's youth system, it was the first FA to introduce youth leagues at all levels and teams from the SFA have dominated UFFA youth competitions in recent seasons. The SFA has a close community, with plenty of healthy competition and no over-competitive must-win-at-any-cost players. The SFA offers a number of optional competitions to allow members to play anything from a bare minimum league schedule (50 matches) to an intensive schedule of over 100 matches. Youth structure: League and cup at U21,20,19,18 &17.

Xtreme Evening Football Association (20:00-00:00). Peak activity 20:00-21:30. The XEFA was the first association to introduce a 4-tier football league, providing one of the most competitive environments in the Gameworld, offering the challenge to new members of progressing through 4 divisions. All teams in the XEFA will be looking at a schedule of approximately 100 games during the season.


Nighttime FAs:
In addition to the evening associations Clough has a number of nighttime football associations. After discussion with various community members the Cloughite would advise UFFA members to delay any decision on which of the associations below to join because there may well be big changes ahead for Nighttime football in Clough. Once we have a clearer idea how Nightime football in Clough will be structured next season will be sure to update this guide.

Moonlight Football Association (01:00-12:00) Youth structure: League and cup at U21, 19 & 18. U17 Cup.
Nightime Football Association (22:30-01:00) Youth structure: U21 League and cup, U19 league.
Xtreme Football Association (22:30-05:00) Youth structure: League and cup at U21, U19 and U18 level.


Casual Associations:

Casual Weekday Assocation (Mon-Fri 12:00-00:00). Peak activity 15:00-21:00. Over recent seasons the CWA has expanded it's range of competitions to provide a schedule suitable for casual players looking for any number of matches during the course of the season. Following the demise of the XFA the CWA is the only FA with a weekday day timeslot, which could make it the obvious choice if that is when you will be most active. Depending on which optional competitions you enter and progression in the cups you will be playing between 50 to 70 matches in the season. Youth structure: U21 League and cup. U19 League.

Weekend Casual Association (Fri 15:00-00:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-23:00, Mon 00:00-09:00)
Peak activity is Sat and Sun 11.30-12.30 although games are played throughout the week, not just the weekend. Chat wise. When we are all on at the same time we get a bit of chat - but with a small Casaul FA that can be difficult. The WCA was one of the first FA's to have an official Reserve League; essential for Casual Players with big squads, the WCA News & Official FA Player of the Season votes. Teams in the WCA should expect to play around 44 to 70 games . Youth structure: U21 league and cup, U19 and U17 cup.


Set your preferences for match finder: There's nothing more disheartening than watching your team get hammered match after match. There is a very small group of managers that are quite happy watching their team play weaker sides over and over again. When you recieve a friendly challenge take a look at the team's reputation and think whether you have a chance of winning the game.

Pick and choose your friendly competitions: Before you enter a competition, particularly if there is an entry fee involved, size up the standard of the opposition teams and consider whether your team can be competitive in that competition. You can do this by looking at the "Members - Entrants" tab on any competition.

Learn the Economy: The transfer market is constantly in flux, during this period of end of contract wage auctions you should be expecting to pay under Market Value for any players that are deemed surplus to requirements at another club, keep an eye out for players being sold for £1, this is a great way to get a head start in the world, even if you do not see the player as a long term solution.

End of Contract Wage Auctions: You should focus your attention on the players who's contracts are expiring this coming week (go to All Players and set your filter criteria to Contract Expires Is Less Than 3 days And Contract Auto Renewal Is Not Auto Extend), these are the players that you can sign from other clubs in the gameworld for a nominal fee (their acquisition fee). You may place a bid for one of these players when their contract has 24 hours left to run. Take note that you are bidding on the daily wage you will pay the player, don't go nuts!